Farmers not paid ₹21,000 crore for cane supplied to sugar mills, All India Kisan Sabha says

Joint secretary of the Sabha, Vijoo Krishnan, said the money should be paid with interest; he also demanded the resumption of operations at the National Cooperative Sugar Mill, Alanganallur

Around ₹21,000 crore due to cane farmers for having sold their produce to sugar mills across the country has not been paid for the last four years, said joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, Vijoo Krishnan.

Addressing a State conference of cane farmers pressing to resume operation of the National Cooperative Sugar Mills at Alanganallur on Thursday, Mr. Krishnan said that the interest for the pending money is huge. “The interest for deposits in banks is around 5% and some cooperative banks are paying as high as 11%. We demand that the Centre take efforts to not only pay the ₹21,000 crore to the farmers, but also the due interest,” he added. No person can buy any product in the country without making the payment due for it. “Then, how come only cane farmers are denied money for the produce they had sold four years back,” he asked.